The No. 5 Liberty defeated the No. 4 Mercury 76-69 in overtime on Sunday at PHX Arena to take a 1-0 lead in the series and steal homecourt advantage

The New York Liberty narrowly avoided putting their backs against the wall in this first-round series as they attempt to repeat as WNBA champions.

Tune in at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN as the fourth-seeded Mercury face the fifth-seeded defending champions, with streaming options available

The 2025 WNBA playoffs are underway. The month-long sprint to crown a new champion began on Sunday with a quadruple-header featuring Game 1 of all four first-round series. The Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces , Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty all jumped out to 1-0 leads. The Liberty were the only lower seed to win on the road.

The New York Liberty face the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 (9/14/25) in Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Phoenix Mercury are one of the original teams of the WNBA, and as time goes on, they remain one of the league's top teams. The Mercury have won three championships in their history, and before winning one, they went through highs and lows.

The Mercury’s regular-season cold streak followed the team into the WNBA playoffs as the New York Liberty’s defense stifled the Phoenix offense. Now the best-of-three series moves to the Liberty’s court,

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. It’s been a big couple of days for New York Liberty guard and four-time WNBA All-Star Sabrina Ionescu. NFL Star Joe Burrow's Charity Terminates Board Member Over Charlie Kirk Comments

The Liberty are finally healthy and are starting to build chemistry, as coach Sandy Brondello preaches a 'defensive' mindset.